Air
Pocket and Air Pocket Plus are Helicopter Underwater
Breathing Systems which enable the user to safely re-breathe
his/her own exhaled air during a cold water immersion
emergency, when a helicopter ditches in open seas.

When this happens the helicopter is likely to invert,
because it is top heavy, and floods. The immersion victim
will experience Cold Shock, an involuntary
physiological response to immersion in cold water which
can cause:

Significant
reduction in breath-hold time

Increased
heart rate

Constriction
in blood vessels

A
rise in blood pressure

Hyperventilation

Aspiration
of water

A short video of the Air Pocket
in action is available here.
NB file is 2Mb and may take a while to download.

This means that when the
immersed passengers most need to be able to hold their
breath, they may involuntarily gasp in water and be
unable to make their escape.

Air Pocket and Air Pocket
Plus have been developed to address this scenario. They
are the end result of a £500,000 research project funded
by Shell UK Expro and Esso, which involved Shark Groups
expertise in the design and manufacture of breathing
systems with leading physiologists, including Professor
Mike Tipton.

The specification and design
have been extensively tested and proven in independent
trials by experts such as the Robens Institute
of Health and Safety.